Buy Now: 10 Best Party Flats

Christmas Culture Guide

CHRISTMAS is upon us, so we have compiled a definitive guide of how to celebrate in style. From carol singing and this year's most atmospheric ice rink to music and theatre, be inspired by our round-up of what to see and do to get you in the festive spirit. Our list of Christmas cultural highlights is set to evoke that warm jolly feeling in even the most Grinch-like of individuals, proving that this time of year doesn't need to revolve around cheesy songs and over-sentimentality. Start planning your Yuletide social agenda here.

ADVERTISEMENT

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

gallery-expand

Festive Film Club at the W Hotel

Enjoy Christmas cocktails and watch a series of festive films at the W Hotel this month - with screenings hosted in the venue's luxurious and intimate cinema. Highlights include a showing of what is the magna carta of all seasonal cheer - It's A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve. December 24, www.wlondon.co.uk

Credit Getty

Sleeping Beauty Ballet by Matthew Bourne

Christmas wouldn't be complete without a trip to the ballet and choreographer Matthew Bourne is at the ready with an original take on classic story Sleeping Beauty. Known for staging an entertaining all-male Swan Lake and his 2007 flamboyant version of Nutcracker, Bourne's latest production involves a heroine who, contrary to her fairy-tale peers, doesn't believe in love at first sight. Instead, she wakes up in 2011 with a very modern idea of what romance should involve. From December 4 until January 26, www.sadlerswells.com.

Club Nights at Somerset House

Christmas calls for jubilant dancing and what better place to do it than at Somerset House ice rink? Save the mulled wine for Tom Aitkens' Skate Lounge afterwards and make the most of the live DJ sets taking over one of the capital’s most beautiful venues this festive season. From vintage nights to disco hits by Lovesick’s resident DJs, there really is something for everybody. From December 5 until January 4, www.somersethouse.org.uk.

Credit PA

Bryan Ferry: The Jazz Age

Bryan Ferry's latest album, which reinterprets some of his most famous Roxy Music tracks as Twenties-inspired instrumentals, is the perfect accompaniment to December evenings in or to elegant festive parties. Christmas music it most certainly isn't, but who needs Wham! when you can listen to a new languid take on Love Is A Drug or Avalon? Available to buy now, www.amazon.co.uk.

Credit Getty

Christmas Carols at Christ Church in Oxford

Complete a weekend in the country with a trip to Oxford’s 12th Century Christ Church - its annual carol service is a long-term favourite of locals. Expect hymns sung by a talented choir, readings from professional actors and a truly picturesque setting. December 14 and December 20, www.musicatoxford.com.

Credit Getty

Holidays Rule

Christmas songs have a Marmite-like effect, but Holiday Rules, a new compilation album, aims to give a new lease of life to festive tracks, featuring Paul McCartney (not one to resist a yuletide classic), The Civil Wars, Holly Golightly and Rufus Wainwright. Available to buy now, www.amazon.co.uk.

Credit Getty

Christmas at The Wild Game & Co

Eat Christmas dinner the Scottish way, with the best game that the Highlands have to offer courtesy of The Wild Game & Co's festive menu. Hearty, seasonal and entirely delicious, dishes include partridge served with pears (naturally), beetroot cured smoked salmon, roast pheasant with all the trimmings and Christmas pudding. Expect friendly and charming service from founder Andy Waugh, who sources all meat from his parents' butchering business near Inverness. Available for the month of December, www.wildgameco.co.uk.

Credit Getty

Edinburgh Ice Rink

Somerset House will always have a special place in our hearts, but the backdrop of Edinburgh's dark gothic buildings makes for a truly atmospheric ice-skating experience. With the city's historic castle and wild mountainous crags looming in the distance, the ice rink is situated in the middle of an old-fashioned festive playground - home to a giant Ferris wheel, stalls selling soothing warm drinks and a brightly-lit carousel. Open now until January 6, www.edinburghschristmas.com.

Credit Getty

The Emirates Air Line

Originally opened this summer to help contend with Olympic travel problems, the Emirates cable cars that take passengers across the Thames offer beautiful views of the London's twinkling skyline. Its stop-off station at Royal Victoria Docks DLR is also a short tube ride to surely one of the most traditional and snug pubs in London - Ian McKellen's 15th Century watering hole, The Grapes in Limehouse. Open now, www.emiratesairline.co.uk.

Credit Getty

Harrods' Christmas Windows

Never one to disappoint at Christmas, Harrods has pulled out all the stops to create the most magical of windows this festive season - recruiting the help of Oscar De La Renta, Valentino and Marchesa to dress Disney's fairy-tale princesses - from Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty. www.harrods.com

Credit Getty

Rats' Tales at The Royal Exchange

Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has helped to curate folk tales from around the world for an enchanting new children's show, involving puppetry, music and animation. From now until January 12, www.royalexchange.co.uk.

Credit Getty

Wishbone in Brixton

For warming hearty food in a friendly relaxed environment look no further than the latest culinary addition to Brixton Village – Wishbone. The still relatively undiscovered London spot is home to some of the capital’s most delicious and unpretentious eateries and this new restaurant is a prime example. Its focus is on free range fried chicken, but greasy KFC cuisine this isn’t. Chef William Leigh teamed up with MeatLiquor co-owner Scott Collins to create a welcoming space that offers simple-yet-appealing dishes that definitely require napkins. The soundtrack was suitably scene-y (old school hip-hop and R&B anyone?), and the prices notably reasonable. For a laidback setting to kick-start your Christmas festivities - whether for drinks or for dinner - this is an ideal location. Open now, www.wishbonebrixton.co.uk.

The Rolling Stones Christmas Lights

Forget Oxford Street, this year's most novel Christmas lights come courtesy of the Rolling Stones, who have given Carnaby Street a rock 'n' roll stamp with suspended decorations of their iconic tongue motif and giant gold and silver vinyl records. www.carnaby street.co.uk

Credit Getty

When Harry Met Sally at the Edible Cinema

If traditional Christmas films make you feel nauseous, then the Edible Cinema is at hand with one of the most feel-good fuzzy-inside films in history - When Harry Met Sally - to be screened at the recently-reopened Electric Cinema in Notting Hill. Guests will be treated to a tray of mini boxes containing numbered dishes that relate to key moments in the film, and a Bombay Sapphire-infused cocktail sprinkled with festive cinnamon, as they recline in the cinema's leather armchairs and bed-like sofas. December 16, www.ediblecinema.co.uk.

Credit Getty

The Magical Ice Kingdom

Step into a makeshift Narnia-style setting with the latest addition to London's Winter Wonderland agenda - a spectacular snow and ice sculpture installation. Made using 200 tons of snow and ice over four months by 20 sculptors, the magical scene takes the form of a forest, filled with mythical creatures, a dragon's den, knights, archers and a unicorn-pulled carriage. Open now until Sunday January 6, www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.co.uk.

Arundel By Candlelight

The narrow cobbled streets of historic Arundel in Sussex will be lined with lanterns and candles for a truly special evening, in which a nativity-inspired procession will make its way through the town. Roads will be closed to traffic to make way for live music, an appearance from Father Christmas and festive market stalls. December 8, www.arundel.org.uk.